KSC-05PD-1988

At NASA Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers get ready to raise the first stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket, launch vehicle for the CALIPSO/CloudSat spacecraft. Once it is vertical, it will be lifted up into the Mobile service tower, or gantry. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar & Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites and together will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO/CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3:01 a.m. Sept. 29.